Managing power of aerial vehicles

ABSTRACT

A system for managing power of an aerial vehicle, the system including an aerial vehicle including a power storage module and at least one component, a computing device communicatively coupled to the aerial vehicle, the computing device including a processor and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to receive data indicating a state of charge of the power storage module, receive data indicating a rate of power consumption of the at least one component, generate, based on at least one of the state of charge of the power storage module or the rate of power consumption of the at least one component, a power command, and transmit the power command to the aerial vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Some aerial vehicles are equipped with power-generating equipment, suchas solar panels, to provide power to other aerial vehicle equipment,which may be included within or otherwise coupled to the aerialvehicles. Excess power may be stored in a power storage module, such asa battery, to provide power to the aerial vehicle equipment during timeswhen the solar panels are not generating power. However, the powerstorage module may not be able to store enough power to maintain fullfunctioning of all the aerial vehicle equipment during times when thesolar panels are not generating power. As such, advancements in aerialvehicle power management could be beneficial in improving powerefficiency and ensuring continuity of operations.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, this disclosure describes a system for managing power ofan aerial vehicle. The system includes an aerial vehicle including apower storage module and at least one component, a computing devicecommunicatively coupled to the aerial vehicle, the computing deviceincluding a processor and a memory storing instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the computing device to receive dataindicating a state of charge of the power storage module, receive dataindicating a rate of power consumption of the at least one component,generate, based on at least one of the state of charge of the powerstorage module or the rate of power consumption of the at least onecomponent, a power command, and transmit the power command to the aerialvehicle.

In embodiments, the power command causes the aerial vehicle to switchfrom a first operating mode to a second operating mode.

In embodiments, the at least one component includes at least oneflight-related component and at least one non-flight related component,and the first operating mode allows power to be provided to the at leastone flight-related component and the at least one non-flight relatedcomponent.

In embodiments, the second operating mode is a power-saving operatingmode.

In embodiments, the power-saving operating mode allows power to beprovided to the at least one flight-related component and prevents powerfrom being provided to the at least one non-flight related component.

In embodiments, the aerial vehicle further includes at least one heater,and wherein the power-saving operating mode allows power to be providedto the at least one heater.

In embodiments, the power-saving operating mode causes the at least onenon-flight related component to switch to a power-saving state.

In embodiments, the power-saving state allows the at least onenon-flight related component to only consume power to stay warm.

In embodiments, the second operating mode is a low-power operating mode.

In embodiments, the at least one component includes at least oneflight-related component and at least one non-flight related component,and the low-power operating mode causes the at least one non-flightrelated component to switch to a power-off state.

In embodiments, the low-power operating mode causes the aerial vehicleto initiate a descent process.

In embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the computing device to determine whether the state ofcharge of the power storage module is greater than a threshold.

In embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the computing device to determine whether the rate ofpower consumption is greater than a threshold.

In embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the computing device to determine an expected amount ofpower required to provide power to the at least one component for apredetermined amount of time, wherein the generation of the powercommand is further based on the determined expected amount of powerneeded to provide power to the at least one component for thepredetermined amount of time.

In embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the computing device to receive data indicating a locationof the aerial vehicle, determine a time until sunrise based on thelocation of the aerial vehicle.

In embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the computing device to determine an expected amount ofpower required to provide power to the at least one component untilsunrise.

In embodiments, the generation of the power command is further based onthe determined expected amount of power needed to provide power to theat least one component until sunrise

In embodiments, the aerial vehicle includes a balloon.

In one aspect, this disclosure describes a method for managing power ofan aerial vehicle. The method includes receiving data indicating a stateof charge of a power storage module coupled to the aerial vehicle,receiving data indicating a rate of power consumption of at least onecomponent coupled to the aerial vehicle, generating, based on at leastone of the state of charge of the power storage module or the rate ofpower consumption of the at least one component, a power command, andtransmitting the power command to the aerial vehicle.

In one aspect, this disclosure describes a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, whenexecuted by a processor, cause a computing device to receive dataindicating a state of charge of a power storage module coupled to anaerial vehicle, receive data indicating a rate of power consumption ofat least one component coupled to the aerial vehicle, generate, based onat least one of the state of charge of the power storage module or therate of power consumption of the at least one component, a powercommand, and transmit the power command to the aerial vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects and features of the present systems and methods forcontrolling an aerial vehicle are described herein below with referenceto the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative aerial vehicle system,in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing additional aspects of the aerialvehicle system of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of acomputing device that may be employed in various embodiments of thepresent system, for instance, as part of the system or components ofFIG. 1 or 2, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4D (collectively, FIG. 4) depict a flowchart showing anillustrative method for managing power of an aerial vehicle from theperspective of the computing device of FIG. 1, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an illustrative method for generatingmodels of power consumption of components of an aerial vehicle, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an illustrative method for managing powerof an aerial vehicle from the perspective of the aerial vehicle of FIG.1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to managing power of aerialvehicles, and, more specifically, to systems and methods for estimatingpower needs of equipment of aerial vehicles, which may be includedwithin the aerial vehicles and/or coupled to the aerial vehicles, andmanaging power consumption of such equipment. In one aspect, the systemsand methods of the present disclosure enable a computing device toreceive data regarding power usage of equipment coupled to one or moreaerial vehicles, determine whether sufficient power is available toprovide power to all or a subset the equipment coupled to the aerialvehicles, and generate a power allocation plan or budget to selectivelyprovide power to at least a portion of the equipment. The systems andmethods of the present disclosure, in some aspects, enable a controlsystem of an aerial vehicle to determine, based on the power allocationplan and/or specific power allocation commands, whether the aerialvehicle is able to provide power to particular equipment. The controlsystem of the aerial vehicle may further, in a case where it isdetermined that the aerial vehicle does not have enough power tomaintain flight until the aerial vehicle is again able to generatepower, perform a controlled descent before power is depleted.

Although the term “power” is used throughout the present disclosure,generally to refer to electric power, one of skill in the art wouldappreciate that the present disclosure has similar applicability toother types of physical quantities, such as electrical energy, charge,current, voltage, and/or the like. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that, while the present disclosure uses power as anillustrative example, the same or similar systems and processes as thosedescribed herein may also be applied to manage usage of various othertypes and/or forms of physical quantities without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. Additionally, the present disclosure isnot limited to any particular units of measurement for the physicalquantities described. For instance, although power may be measured inwatts (W); electric energy may be measured in joules (J), kilowatt-hours(kW-h), or electronvolts (eV); electric charge may be measured incoulombs (C); electrical current may be measured in amps (A); andvoltage may be measured in volts (V), other types of units ofmeasurement are also contemplated within the scope of the presentdisclosure, as one of skill in the art would appreciate.

As such, the systems and processes for managing power usage describedbelow may be applied to various devices. In particular, any device whoseoperation is dependent upon a limited resource may benefit from thesystems and processes for managing power usage described below. Forexample, any device that is coupled to an intermittent power source,such as a solar power generating component, may benefit from thebelow-described systems and processes. An illustrative device used as anexample hereinbelow is an unmanned aerial vehicle. While various typesand forms of aerial vehicles are envisioned by the present disclosure,including balloons, airships, other vehicles that maintain altitude atleast in part by using buoyancy, and/or the like, the present disclosurewill use a superpressure balloon as an illustrative aerial vehicle.Superpressure balloons are designed to float at an altitude in theatmosphere where the density of the balloon system is equal to thedensity of the atmosphere. The altitude of a superpressure balloon iscontrolled by an altitude control system, which, when in use, may be oneof the components of the aerial vehicle that consume the most power.

With reference to FIG. 1, an illustrative aerial vehicle control system100 includes an aerial vehicle 102, one or more computing devices 104,and one or more data sources 106, not drawn to scale. The aerial vehicle102 and the computing devices 104 are communicatively coupled to oneanother by way of a wireless communication link 108, and the computingdevices 104 and the data sources 106 are communicatively coupled to oneanother by way of a wired and/or wireless communication link 110. Insome aspects, the aerial vehicle 102 is configured to be launched intoand moved about the atmosphere, and the computing devices 104 cooperateas a ground-based distributed array to perform their functions describedhereinbelow. The data sources 106 may include airborne data sources,such as airborne weather balloons, additional airborne aerial vehicles102, and/or the like, and/or ground-based data sources, such as publiclyavailable and/or proprietary datasets, examples of which are the GlobalForecast System (GFS) operated by the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA), as well as datasets maintained by the EuropeanCenter for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Although the presentdisclosure is provided in the context of an embodiment where the system100 includes multiple computing devices 104 and multiple data sources106, in other embodiments the system 100 may include a single computingdevice 104 and a single data source 106. Further, although FIG. 1 showsa single aerial vehicle 102, in various embodiments the system 100includes a fleet of multiple aerial vehicles 102 that are positioned atdifferent locations throughout the atmosphere and that are configured tocommunicate with the computing devices 104, the data sources 106, and/orone another by way of the communication links 108 and/or 110.

In various embodiments, the aerial vehicle 102 may be configured toperform a variety of functions or provide a variety of services, suchas, for instance, telecommunication services (e.g., long term evolution(LTE) service), hurricane monitoring services, ship tracking services,services relating to imaging, astronomy, radar, ecology, conservation,and/or other types of functions or services. Computing devices 104generate and provide commands to the aerial vehicles 102 to control theposition (also referred to as location) and/or movement of the aerialvehicles 102 throughout the atmosphere or beyond, and monitor andcontrol the power generation and usage of the equipment coupled to theaerial vehicles 102 to facilitate effective and efficient performance oftheir functions or provision of their services, as the case may be. Asdescribed in further detail hereinbelow, the computing devices 104 areconfigured to obtain a variety of types of data from a variety ofsources and, based on the obtained data, generate and provide variouscommands to the aerial vehicles 102 to control its position and/ormovement during flight, as well as monitor and control the allocationand provision of power to various equipment coupled to the aerialvehicles 102.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, an illustrative aerial vehicle 102includes a lift gas balloon 112, one or more ballonets 116, and apayload or gondola 114, which is suspended beneath the lift gas balloon112 and/or one or more ballonets 116 while the aerial vehicle 102 is inflight. The ballonets 116 are used to control the buoyancy, and therebythe altitude, of the aerial vehicle 102 during flight. In some aspects,the ballonets 116 include air and the lift gas balloon 112 includes alifting gas, such as helium, that is lighter than air. As shown in FIG.1, the ballonets 116 may be positioned inside the lift gas balloon 112and/or outside the lift gas balloon 112. An altitude controller (whichis a component of flight-related equipment 138) controls a pump and avalve (neither of which are shown in FIG. 1) to pump air into theballonets 116 (from air outside the aerial vehicle 102) to increase themass of the aerial vehicle 102 and lower its altitude, or to release airfrom the ballonets 116 (into the atmosphere outside the aerial vehicle102) to decrease the mass of the aerial vehicle 102 and increase itsaltitude. The combination of the altitude controller, the lift gasballoon 112, the ballonets 116, and the valves and pumps (not shown inFIG. 1) may be referred to as an air-gas altitude control system (ACS).

The gondola 114 includes a variety of components, some of which may ormay not be included, depending upon the application and/or needs of aparticular aerial vehicle 102 and/or a particular flight. Although notexpressly shown in FIG. 1, the various components of the aerial vehicle102 in general, and/or of the gondola 114 in particular, may be coupledto one another for communication of power, data, and/or other signals orinformation. The example gondola 114 shown in FIG. 1 includes a powerplant 122, a power storage module 124, one or more sensors 128, atransceiver 132, one or more power generation modules 134,flight-related equipment 138, and other non-flight-related equipment140. The transceiver 132 is configured to wirelessly communicate databetween the aerial vehicle 102 and the computing devices 104 and/or datasources 106 by way of the wireless communication link 108 and/or thecommunication link 110, respectively. In some embodiments, thetransceiver 132 is configured to communicate data between the aerialvehicle 102 and the computing devices 104 and/or the data sources 106 byway of satellite communications. In such embodiments, the wirelesscommunication link 108 may include one or more satellite communicationlinks (not shown in FIG. 1). In an embodiment, the power generationmodule 134 includes one or more solar panels configured to absorbsunlight, when available, and generate power, such as electrical energy,from the absorbed sunlight. The power is provided, by way of power pathssuch as power path 136, to power plant 122, which controls thedistribution of power to the various components of the aerial vehicle102, as further described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the powergeneration module 134 may be affixed to and/or suspended below thegondola 114. Alternatively, or in addition, the power generation module134 may be affixed to an upper portion of the lift gas balloon 112and/or elsewhere to aerial vehicle 102 (not shown in FIG. 1). In someembodiments, the power generation module 134 may be adjustable to be ina position that is more suitable for power generation. For example,solar panels may be adjusted to face the direction of the sun, and maybe intermittently readjusted to track the movement of the sun throughoutthe day.

In some embodiments, the sensors 128 include a global positioning system(GPS) sensor that senses and outputs location data, such as latitude,longitude, and/or altitude data corresponding to a latitude, longitude,and/or altitude of the aerial vehicle 102 in the Earth's atmosphere. Thesensors 128 are configured to provide the location data to the computingdevices 104 by way of the wireless transceiver 132 and the wirelesscommunication link 108 for use in controlling the aerial vehicle 102, asdescribed in further detail below.

The power storage module 124 includes one or more energy accumulators,batteries, and/or other energy storage mechanisms that store excesspower—or another physical quantity such as electrical charge, asdescribed above—provided by the power generation module 134 to the powerplant 122. The power stored in the power storage module 124 may later beprovided to the flight-related equipment 138 and the other equipment 140of the aerial vehicle 102 during times when the power generation module134 are not generating power, such as during overnight hours. Forexample, in an embodiment where the power generation module 134 includesone or more solar panels, the power plant 122 controls the distributionof power received from the solar panels (when the solar panels generatepower) and/or stored by the power storage module 124 (when the solarpanels are not generating power). The power plant 122 further convertsand/or conditions the power to a form suitable for use by the variouscomponents of the aerial vehicle 102. As described in further detailbelow, in various embodiments the power plant 122 is configured tocontrol the provision of power to various components of theflight-related equipment 138 and the other equipment 140 based at leastin part upon a power allocation budget and/or specific power commandsthat are generated by, and received from, the computing devices 104 byway of the wireless communication link 108 and the transceiver 132. Insome examples, the power plant 122 is configured to implement the powerallocation budget by allowing or prohibiting the flow of power to thevarious components, and/or by causing one or more components to switchto a power-saving state, based on the power allocation budget and/or thepower commands.

The fight-related equipment 138 may include a variety of types ofequipment used to keep the aerial vehicle 102 floating at a desiredaltitude. In particular, the flight-related equipment 138 includes thealtitude control system; communications equipment for maintaining thewireless communications link 108; power-related equipment such as thepower plant 122, power storage module 124, and the power generationmodule 134; and at least one heater to keep the components warm, etc.The other non-flight-related equipment 140 includes the other componentsused to provide various functions of the aerial vehicle 102, and mayvary depending upon the application or needs of the aerial vehicle 102,as outlined herein. For example, the other equipment 140 may includeservice equipment, such as an LTE system including LTE transmittersand/or receivers, weather sensors, imaging equipment, and/or any othersuitable type of equipment for providing a particular service orfunction.

Having provided an overview of the aerial vehicle control system 100 inthe context of FIG. 1, reference is now made to FIG. 2, which showscertain operations of the aerial vehicle control system 100, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular,FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of how functionality andcorresponding components are allocated among the aerial vehicle 102, thecomputing devices 104, and/or the data sources 106, to manage powerallocation and consumption of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to theaerial vehicle 102. Although more detailed aspects of how the system 100implements power management for the aerial vehicle 102 are providedbelow in the context of FIGS. 4A-4D (referred to collectively as FIG.4), FIG. 2 provides an overview of the functionality and componentallocation. The arrangement of components depicted in FIG. 2 is providedby way of example and not limitation. Other arrangements of componentsand allocations of functionality are contemplated, for instance, withthe aerial vehicle 102 including components that implement functionalityshown in FIG. 2 as being implemented by the computing devices 104, orvice versa. However, in the example shown in FIG. 2, a majority ofcomponents and functionality are allocated to the computing devices 104instead of to the aerial vehicle 102, which decreases the amount ofpower required to operate the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerialvehicle 102, and thus enables the equipment 138, 140 to utilize agreater portion of the available power than would be possible if morecomponents and functionality were allocated to the aerial vehicle 102.This increases the capabilities of the aerial vehicle 102 forimplementing functionality and/or providing services for a given amountof available power.

In addition to certain components that were introduced above inconnection with FIG. 1, FIG. 2 shows a simulation model module 210, anestimation module 220, and a power management module 230 that areincluded within the computing devices 104. The simulation model module210, estimation module 220, and power management module 230 may beembodied as software modules, hardware modules, or various combinationsof both. Once the aerial vehicle 102 is in flight in the atmosphere, thesensors 128 are configured to periodically transmit to the computingdevice 104, and particularly to the simulation model module 210 and/orthe estimation module 220, by way of the transceiver 132 and thewireless communication link 108, location and/or power data, such astimestamped GPS positions and altitudes of the aerial vehicle 102 atcorresponding times, and/or power consumption and storage levels. Forexample, the power data may include an amount of power, measured in, forexample, watts (W) for power, joules (J), kilowatt-hours (kW-h),electronvolts (eV) for energy; coulomb (C) for electric charge, amps (A)for current, and/or volts (V) for voltage, being consumed by eachcomponent of the flight-related equipment 138 and the other equipment140, and a level of stored power, also measured in for example, watts(W) for power, joules (J), kilowatt-hours (kW-h), electronvolts (eV) forenergy; coulomb (C) for electric charge, amps (A) for current, and/orvolts (V) for voltage, remaining in the power storage module 124. Thesimulation model module 210 utilizes the power data obtained from thesensors 128 and flight path data, sunset/sunrise data, and/or other dataregarding the power consumption and/or efficiency of the equipment 138,140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102 received from other data sources106, to generate one or more simulation models of power consumption bythe various components of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerialvehicle 102, as further described below. In some embodiments, thesimulation models are further based on the location of the aerialvehicle 102, and/or various components of the equipment 138, 140 mayhave different power consumption profiles based on the location of theaerial vehicle 102. For example, the simulation models may reflecthistorical power consumption of the components at a particular location,as well as the geographical characteristics of the location, and/orreal-time or pseudo-real-time weather data at the particular location.In particular, the simulation model module 210 may receive historicaldata regarding power consumption and efficiency of various components ofthe equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102, and generateone or more simulation models of expected power consumption by thecomponents of the equipment 138, 140. The simulation models may furtherbe enhanced and/or updated based on the actual power consumption datareceived from sensors 128. In embodiments, the simulation model module210 may generate multiple simulation models simulating all aspects offlight of the aerial vehicle 102 that may impact power generation and/orpower consumption, and may determine, based on the parameters used togenerate the various simulation models, a most likely forecast of powergeneration and/or power consumption. For example, each simulation modelgenerated by the simulation model module 210 may have an associatedconfidence interval of that simulation model being the most accuratesimulation model, based on parameters used to generate the simulationmodel and/or the results of other simulation models.

The estimation module 220 estimates the amount of power expected to berequired by each of the various components of the equipment 138, 140over a particular time period. For example, the estimation module 220may receive sunrise/sunset data from the other data sources 106 by wayof communication link 110, and thereby determine, based on the locationdata received from the sensors 128 by means of the transceiver 132 andthe communication link 108, the time of sunset and/or sunrise at thelocation of the aerial vehicle 102, as well as a time remaining untilsunrise at the location of the aerial vehicle 102. The estimation module220 may then, based on the time remaining until sunrise and the amountof power being consumed by each of the various components of theequipment 138, 140, determine the amount of power expected to berequired by each of the various components (referred to hereinafter as acomponent's individual power requirement), as well as a total amount ofpower expected to be required by all of the components of the equipment138, 140. The estimation module 220 may further receive data from thesimulation model module 210, such as the one or more simulation models,and may further determine the individual and total expected powerrequirements based on the one or more simulation models, as furtherdescribed below. In addition to determining the individual and totalexpected power requirements, the estimation module 220 also estimates,based on the level of stored power remaining in the power storage module124, an amount of time remaining until the stored power remaining in thepower storage module 124 will reach various thresholds, such as, forexample, 50% remaining, 20% remaining, 5% remaining, 0% remaining, etc.That is, the estimation module 220 estimates the amount of timeremaining during which the expected power requirements of the variouscomponents can be met.

After the estimation module 220 determines the expected powerrequirements of the various components and the time remaining duringwhich the expected power requirements can be met, the power managementmodule 230 determines which of the various components should be powered,and when, if at all, one or more of the various components should beswitched to a power-saving state. The power management module 230 maythen determine a power allocation plan or budget according to whichpower should be allocated until the next sunrise. The power allocationplan may be based on one or more goals, and may allocate power toparticular components of the equipment 138, 140 based on the one or moregoals. The goals may include general goals, such as, for example,allocate all available power such that the level of stored power in thepower storage module 124 reaches 0% at sunrise, allocate power based ondifferent flight modes (e.g. prioritize providing power tocommunications equipment when providing LTE service, prioritizeproviding power to navigation equipment when not providing LTE service,etc.), and/or preserve a sufficient amount of power to maintain apredetermined confidence level that the aerial vehicle will not need toenter a low-power state, etc. The goals may further include specificgoals, such as, for example, preserve a particular amount of power untila particular time, preserve sufficient power to be able to provide powerto particular components, allocate power to particular components basedon a relative benefit of providing power to one component versusanother, etc. This allows the power management module 230 to generatethe power allocation plan such general goals of “spend all availablepower” are met, while also taking into account specific goals that maybe based on expected usage or events. For example, if weather datareceived from the data sources 106 indicate that the ambient temperaturemay drop to unusually low levels overnight, additional power may have tobe allocated to the heaters and/or the ACS to maintain desired flightoperations. In another example, flight plan data that control flightoperations of the aerial vehicle 102 may require that the ACS beactivated for a particular amount of time overnight, and in that case,the power allocation plan should allocate a particular amount of powerto the ACS. The power management module 230 further generates one ormore power commands to be transmitted to the power plant 122 of theaerial vehicle 102 via the communication link 108 and the transceiver132, as further described below with reference to FIGS. 4A-4D. The powercommands may be based on the power allocation plan or budget, and mayinstruct the power plant 122 of the aerial vehicle 102 as to which ofthe various components may receive power at particular times, accordingto the power allocation plan. The power commands may be transmitted in aparticular sequence and/or at particular times to correspond to thepower allocation plan.

As used herein, the term “power-saving state” refers to any state ormode of operation to which a component can selectively be switchedwherein the component consumes less power than the component consumeswhen it is operating normally and/or to its full capacity (e.g., in anon-power-saving state), and from which the component may later berestored to a normal operating state. For example, various electroniccomponents may be switched to a different state and/or mode of operationwherein the electronic components provide less or no functionality (e.g.simply stay warm) and thus require less power.

The functionality of the simulation model module 210, the estimationmodule 220, and the power management module 230 is further describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 4A-4D. With regard to the description ofFIGS. 4A-4D, the simulation model module 210, the estimation module 220,and the power management module 230 may be referred to specifically orgenerally as components of the computing devices 104, and those skilledin the art will appreciate that the computing device 105 may perform thebelow-described functionality by means of these modules and/or othercomponents not expressly described herein.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic block diagram of acomputing device 300 that may be employed in accordance with variousembodiments described herein. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 1 orFIG. 2, in some embodiments, the computing device 300, or one or more ofthe components thereof, may further represent one or more components(e.g., the computing device 104, one or more of the components 138, 140,the data sources 106, and/or the like) of the system 100. The computingdevice 300 may, in various embodiments, include one or more memories302, processors 304, display devices 306, network interfaces 308, inputdevices 310, and/or output modules 312. The memory 302 includesnon-transitory computer-readable storage media for storing data and/orsoftware that is executable by the processor 304 and which controls theoperation of the computing device 300. In embodiments, the memory 302may include one or more solid-state storage devices such as flash memorychips. Alternatively, or in addition to the one or more solid-statestorage devices, the memory 302 may include one or more mass storagedevices connected to the processor 304 through a mass storage controller(not shown in FIG. 3) and a communications bus (not shown in FIG. 3).Although the description of computer-readable media included hereinrefers to a solid-state storage, it should be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that computer-readable storage media may be anyavailable media that can be accessed by the processor 304. That is,computer readable storage media include non-transitory, volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data. Examples of computer-readable storage media include RAM,ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid-state memory technology,CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-Ray or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which may be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by the computing device 300.

In some embodiments, the memory 302 stores data 314 and/or anapplication 316. In some aspects, the application 316 includes a userinterface component 318 that, when executed by the processor 304, causesthe display device 306 to present a user interface, for example agraphical user interface (GUI) (not shown in FIG. 3). The networkinterface 308, in some embodiments, is configured to couple thecomputing device 300 and/or individual components thereof to a network,such as a wired network, a wireless network, a local area network (LAN),a wide area network (WAN), a wireless mobile network, a BLUETOOTHnetwork, the Internet, and/or another type of network. The input device310 may be any device by means of which a user may interact with thecomputing device 300. Examples of the input device 310 include withoutlimitation a mouse, a keyboard, a joystick, a touch screen or pad, avoice interface, a camera, and/or the like. The output module 312 may,in various embodiments, include any connectivity port or bus, such as,for example, a parallel port, a serial port, a universal serial bus(USB), or any other similar connectivity port known to those skilled inthe art.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4D, there is shown a flowchart depicting anillustrative method 400 for managing power of an aerial vehicle from theperspective of the computing devices 104 of the system 100, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As describedabove, the computing devices 104 include various components, includingprocessors, memories, and various other modules. As will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art, the processes described below may beperformed and/or executed by a variety of these components. As such, thedescription that follows will refer to the processes being performed bythe computing devices 104, but those skilled in the art will recognizethat one or more of the above-described components of the computingdevices 104 are used by the computing devices 104 to perform and/orexecute these processes. Further, those skilled in the art willrecognize that the processes described below may be a sub-processforming part of a bigger process for controlling aerial vehicles, andthus various other processes and steps may be performed in addition tothe below-described steps and processes. While the processes describedbelow are organized into an illustrative ordered sequence of steps,those skilled in the art will appreciate that various of these steps maybe performed in a different order or sequence, repeated, and/or omittedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The method 400 for managing power an aerial vehicle, such as the aerialvehicle 102, may start at block 402 of FIG. 4A, where the computingdevices 104 receive data regarding a state of charge (SOC) of the powerstorage module 124 from the aerial vehicle 102. The SOC of the powerstorage module 124 corresponds to the level of stored power, measuredin, for example, watts (W) for power, joules (J), kilowatt-hours (kW-h),electronvolts (eV) for energy; coulomb (C) for electric charge, amps (A)for current, and/or volts (V) for voltage, stored in the power storagemodule 124.

Thereafter, at block 404, the computing devices 104 determine whetherthe SOC of the power storage module 124 received at block 402 is greaterthan a threshold. In embodiments, the threshold may be a predeterminedsafety threshold, such as a particular level of stored power above whichit is not necessary to manage the power consumption of the variouscomponents of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102.For example, the safety threshold may be 80% of the maximum SOC of thepower storage module 124. In embodiments, the safety threshold may bebased on a flight plan of the aerial vehicle 102. For example, theflight plan may require that a particular amount of power be preservedfor flight or service operations. In other embodiments, the thresholdmay be a variable threshold that is adjusted based on the time of theday, and may thus be proportional to the amount of time remaining untilsunrise. If the computing devices 104 determine that the SOC of thepower storage module 124 is greater than the safety threshold (“Y” atblock 404), processing proceeds to block 414. Alternatively, if thecomputing devices 104 determine that the SOC of the power storage module124 is not greater than the safety threshold (“N” at block 404),processing proceeds to block 406.

At block 406, the computing devices 104 determine whether the SOC of thepower storage module 124 received at block 402 is greater than acritical threshold. In embodiments, the critical threshold may be aminimum level of stored power below which flight operations may beconsidered unsafe. For example, the critical threshold may be 5%, 2%,1%, etc. of the maximum SOC of the power storage module 124. In someembodiments, the critical threshold may be proportional to the amount oftime remaining until sunrise, and may get lower as the time remaininguntil sunrise decreases, such that the critical threshold is 0% atsunrise. If the computing devices 104 determine that the SOC of thepower storage module 124 is not greater than the critical threshold (“N”at block 406), processing proceeds to block 408, where the computingdevices 104 generate a descend command to instruct the aerial vehicle102 to descend to the ground, and the computing devices 104 transmit thedescend command to the aerial vehicle via the communication link 108when it is determined that the aerial vehicle 102 is able to descendsafely to the ground. Alternatively, if the computing devices 104determine that the SOC of the power storage module 124 is greater thanthe critical threshold (“Y” at block 406), processing proceeds to block410.

At block 410, the computing devices 104 receive data regarding a currentrate of power consumption from the aerial vehicle 102. The dataregarding the current rate of power consumption may include a currentrate of power consumption of each of the various components of theequipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102, and/or a totalcurrent rate of power consumption by all the components of the equipment138, 140 taken together. Thereafter, at block 412, the computing devices104 determine whether the total current rate of power consumption, thatis, the sum of the current rates of power consumption of each of thevarious components, is greater than a power consumption threshold. Forexample, the power consumption threshold may correspond to a rate ofpower consumption that will consume over a period of 6 hours an amountof power equal to 50% of the maximum SOC of the power storage module124. In some embodiments, the power consumption threshold may vary basedon an amount of time remaining until sunrise. If the computing devices104 determine that the total current rate of power consumption is notgreater than the power consumption threshold (“N” at block 412),processing proceeds to block 414. Alternatively, if the computingdevices 104 determine that the total current rate of power consumptionis greater than the power consumption threshold (“Y” at block 412),processing proceeds to block 418.

At block 414, the computing devices 104 select a normal operating modefor the aerial vehicle 102. The normal operating mode allows allcomponents of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle to beswitched on and operate at their full capacity, and enables the powerplant 122 to provide power to all the components. It will be appreciatedby those skilled in the art that all of the components of the equipment138, 140 are not always in use at the same time even if the aerialvehicle 102 is operating in the normal operating mode. Thus, while thenormal operating mode allows all components of the equipment 138, 140 tooperate at full capacity, some of the components may remain in apower-saving state until they are needed. For example, the ACS may onlybe turned on when its use is needed, and may otherwise remain in apower-saving state. If the aerial vehicle 102 is not presently operatingin the normal operating mode, the computing devices 104 may furthergenerate a power command instructing the aerial vehicle 102 to switch tothe normal operating mode. Thereafter, at block 416, the computingdevices 104 may transmit the power command to the aerial vehicle 102 viathe communication link 108.

Turning now to FIG. 4B, at block 418, the computing devices 104 obtainone or more simulation models of power usage. In some embodiments, thesimulation models are previously and/or continuously generated as datais received from the aerial vehicle 102 and/or any other data source.One or more additional simulation models may also be generated at block418. The simulation models of power usage may be generated based on thedata regarding the current rate of power consumption received at block410. The simulation models of power usage may simulate the individualand/or total expected power requirements of the various components overa predetermined and/or particular period of time and under variousvariable conditions, such as if the ACS is activated for a particularamount of time or at a particular operating capacity. For example, asimulation model may be generated to determine how much power would beconsumed by the ACS if the ACS is activated at 50% operating capacity,which would consume less power but also reduce efficiency, and thus takelonger to perform a particular function. Similarly, the serviceequipment may be activated at less than full capacity. For example, theLTE system may be activated to provide service to 50% of its servicesectors, and thus reduce the amount of power consumed by the LTE system.The simulation models of power usage may further simulate the effects onpower consumption if one or more of the components are switched to apower-saving state. For example, switching one or more components to apower-saving state may reduce the power consumption of those componentsswitched to the power-saving state, but may also affect the powerconsumption, either lower or higher, of other components that arerelated to and/or interact with the components that are switched to thepower-saving state. Thus, the simulation models of power usage may showthe effects on power consumption of the interplay between variouscomponents of the equipment 138, 140 under various variable conditions.The generation of simulation models of power usage is further describedbelow with reference to FIG. 5.

Next, at block 420, the computing devices 104 determine whether power iscurrently being generated or not being generated by the power generationmodule 134. In embodiments, the computing devices 104 receive dataregarding a current state of power generation from the aerial vehicle102, such as by way of the transceiver 132. The present state of powergeneration refers to whether or not the power generation module 134 iscurrently generating power. The power generation module 134 is typicallyable to generate power during the daytime, i.e. from sunrise untilsunset, but, due to weather and/or hardware conditions, the powergenerating ability of the power generation module 134 may be affected.In some embodiments, the various components of the equipment 138, 140coupled to the aerial vehicle 102 that are in use at any particular timemay be selected such that the power generation module 134, whenoperating, is able to generate sufficient power to satisfy the expectedpower requirements of all the components of the equipment 138, 140, andfurther to generate sufficient excess power to replenish the storedpower in the power storage module 124. In other embodiments, the variouscomponents of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102,if concurrently activated, may consume as much or more power than thepower generation module 134 is able to generate over a given timeperiod, and thus power consumption may need to be limited during thedaytime to ensure that sufficient power is stored in the power storagemodule 124 for use during the nighttime. For example, there may beparticular components of the equipment 138, 140, such as the ACS, that,if operated constantly, may consume more power than the power generationmodule 134 is able to generate, and thus power provision to suchcomponents may need to be restricted. As such, it is contemplated thatthere may be situations where the amount of power being consumed isgreater than the amount of power being generated at a particular time,and in such situations, power stored in the power storage module 124 maybe used to supplement the power generated by the power generation module134 even during the daytime. The state of power generation may beintermittently or continuously transmitted to the computing devices 104during regular communications between the aerial vehicle 102 and thecomputing devices 104. If the computing devices 104 determine that poweris currently being generated (“Y” at block 420), processing proceeds toblock 422. Alternatively, if the computing devices 104 determine thatpower is not currently being generated (“N” at block 420), processingproceeds to block 424.

At block 422, the computing devices 104 estimate an expected amount ofpower needed to provide power to the components of the equipment 138,140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102 for a particular period of time.The expected amount of power needed may include a total amount of powerneeded by all of the components and/or individual amounts of powerneeded for each component for the particular period of time. Inembodiments, the particular period of time may be a predetermined amountof time, a dynamically determined amount of time, an amount of timeremaining until the occurrence of an event (e.g. sunrise, sunset, startof a service period, end of a service period, arriving at a particularlocation, etc.), and/or a user-specified amount of time. The estimationof the expected amount of power needed may be based on the current rateof power consumption received at block 410. The estimation of theexpected amount of power needed may further be based on the one or moresimulation models of power usage obtained at block 418. Thereafter,processing proceeds to block 430.

At block 424, the computing devices 104 receive data indicating alocation of the aerial vehicle 102. The location of the aerial vehicle102 may be determined by or based on data received from the sensors 128,and may be transmitted to the computing devices 104 via thecommunication link 108. Thereafter, at block 426, the computing devices104 determine an expected time until sunrise based on the location ofthe aerial vehicle 102 and the expected time of sunrise at the locationof the aerial vehicle 102. Then, at block 428, the computing devices 104estimate an expected amount of power needed until sunrise to providepower to the components of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerialvehicle 102. The expected amount of power needed until sunrise mayinclude a total amount of power needed until sunrise by all of thecomponents and/or individual amounts of power needed for each component.The estimation of the expected amount of power needed until sunrise maybe based on the current rate of power consumption received at block 410and the time until sunrise determined at block 426. The estimation ofthe expected amount of power needed until sunrise may further be basedon the one or more simulation models of power usage obtained at block418.

Thereafter, at block 430, the computing devices 104 determine whetherthe SOC of the power storage module 124 received at block 402 is greaterthan or equal to the total amount of power needed as estimated at blocks422 or 428. If the computing devices 104 determine that the SOC of thepower storage module 124 is greater than or equal to the estimated totalamount of power needed (“Y” at block 430), processing returns to block414. Alternatively, if the computing devices 104 determine that the SOCof the power storage module 124 is not greater than or equal to theestimated total amount of power needed, and thus the SOC of the powerstorage module 124 is insufficient to provide power to all of thecomponents of the equipment 138, 140 (“N” at block 430), processingproceeds to block 432.

At block 432, the computing devices 104 estimate an expected amount ofpower needed until sunrise to provide power to only the components ofthe flight-related equipment 138. The estimation of the expected amountof power needed until sunrise to provide power to only the components ofthe flight-related equipment 138 may be based on the current rate ofpower consumption of each component of the flight-related equipment 138,as received at block 410, and the time until sunrise determined at block426, and the estimation may further be based on the one or moresimulation models of power usage obtained at block 418.

Thereafter, at block 434, the computing devices 104 determine whetherthe SOC of the power storage module 124 received at block 402 is greaterthan or equal to the expected amount of power needed to provide power toonly the components of the flight-related equipment 138, as estimated atblock 432. If the computing devices 104 determine that the SOC of thepower storage module 124 is not greater than or equal to the expectedamount of power needed to provide power to the components of theflight-related equipment 138, and thus the SOC of the power storagemodule 124 is insufficient to provide power to all the components of theflight-related equipment 138 (“N” at block 434), processing proceeds toblock 436. Alternatively, if the computing devices 104 determine thatthe SOC of the power storage module 124 is greater than or equal to theexpected amount of power needed to provide power to the components ofthe flight-related equipment 138 (“Y” at block 434), processing proceedsto block 438.

At block 436, the computing devices 104 select a low-power operatingmode for the aerial vehicle 102. The low-power operating mode requiresall components of the other equipment 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle102 to be switched to a power-saving state or a power-off state andprevents the power plant 122 from providing power to any components ofthe other equipment 140. Additionally, one or more components of theflight-related equipment may also be switched to a power-saving statebased on the processes of blocks 456 to 462, described below. If theaerial vehicle 102 is not presently operating in the low-power operatingmode, the computing devices 104 may further generate a power commandinstructing the aerial vehicle 102 to switch to the low-power operatingmode and transmit the power command to the aerial vehicle 102 via thecommunication link 108. Thereafter, processing proceeds to block 456.

At block 438, the computing devices 104 select a power-saving operatingmode for the aerial vehicle 102. The power-saving operating mode allowsall components of the flight-related equipment 138 coupled to the aerialvehicle 102 to operate normally and allows the power plant 122 toprovide power to all the components of the flight-related equipment 138.Additionally, one or more components of the other equipment 140 may beswitched to a power-saving state based on the processes of blocks 444 to454, described below. If the aerial vehicle 102 is not presentlyoperating in the power-saving operating mode, the computing devices 104may further generate a power command instructing the aerial vehicle 102to switch to the power-saving operating mode and transmit the powercommand to the aerial vehicle 102 via the communication link 108.Thereafter, processing proceeds to block 440.

At block 440, the computing devices 104 calculate an amount of allocablepower. The amount of allocable power corresponds to a difference betweenthe SOC of the power storage module 124 and the expected amount of powerneeded until sunrise to provide power to the components of theflight-related equipment 138, as estimated at block 432. In someembodiments, additional amounts of power may be held in reserve beyondthe expected amount of power needed until sunrise to provide power tothe components of the flight-related equipment 138, and thus the amountof allocable power calculated at block 440 may not be the exactdifference between the SOC of the power storage module 124 and theexpected amount of power needed until sunrise to provide power to thecomponents of the flight-related equipment 138. Thereafter, processingproceeds to block 442.

At block 442, the computing devices 104 receive a goal. As noted above,the goal may include one or more general goals and/or one or morespecific goals. While FIG. 4B shows the goal as being received afterblock 440, those skilled in the art will recognize that the goal may bereceived and/or updated at any point during the execution of the method400.

Turning now to FIG. 4C, at block 444, the computing devices 104 selectsone of the components of the flight-related equipment 138 to be switchedto a power-saving state. Based on the determination of block 434, it hasbeen determined that the SOC of the power storage module 124 isinsufficient to provide power to all of the components of theflight-related equipment until sunrise. As such, it is now determinedwhether power consumption can be reduced by switching one or morecomponents of the flight-related equipment 138 to a power-saving statewithout affecting flight operations. The computing devices 104 mayselect one of the components of the flight-related equipment 138 toswitch to a power-saving state based on a predetermined list ofcomponents that may be switched to the power-saving state under theseconditions, based on a determination of which components of theflight-related equipment 138 are consuming the most power, and/or basedon the interplay between the components of the flight-related equipment138.

Thereafter, at block 446, the computing devices 104 determine whetherflight operations are affected by switching the selected component ofthe flight-related equipment 138 to a power-saving state. If thecomputing devices 104 determine that flight operations will not beaffected by switching the selected component of the flight-relatedequipment 138 to a power-saving state (“N” at block 446), processingproceeds to block 448. Alternatively, if the computing devices 104determine that flight operations will be affected by switching theselected component of the flight-related equipment 138 to a power-savingstate (“Y” at block 446), the component selected at block 444 isdeselected and processing proceeds to block 454.

At block 448, the computing devices 104 estimate an expected amount ofpower needed to provide power until sunrise to the components of theflight-related equipment 138 that remain switched on. Then, at block450, the computing devices 104 determine whether the SOC of the powerstorage module 124 received at block 402 is greater than or equal to theexpected amount of power needed until sunrise as estimated at block 448.If the computing devices 104 determine that the SOC of the power storagemodule 124 is not greater than or equal to the expected amount of powerneeded as estimated at block 448, and thus the SOC of the power storagemodule 124 is insufficient to provide the expected amount of powerneeded as estimated at block 448 (“N” at block 450), processing returnsto block 444 where another component of the flight-related equipment 138is selected. Alternatively, if the computing devices 104 determine thatthe SOC of the power storage module 124 is greater than or equal to theexpected amount of power needed as estimated at block 448 (“Y” at block450), processing proceeds to block 450.

At block 450, the computing devices 104 generate a power command toswitch the components of the flight-related equipment 138 selected atblock 444 to a power-saving state. Thereafter, processing returns toblock 416 where the power command is transmitted to the aerial vehicle.

At block 454, the computing devices 104 determine whether there areother flight-related components of the flight-related equipment 138remaining that have not previously been selected. If the computingdevices 104 determine that there are other components of theflight-related equipment 138 remaining that have not previously beenselected, processing returns to block 444, where another component ofthe flight-related equipment 138 is selected. Alternatively, if thecomputing devices 104 determine that there are no other components ofthe flight-related equipment 138 remaining that have not previously beenselected, processing returns to block 408.

The process of generating a power allocation plan or budget will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 4D. As noted above, the powerallocation plan may be based on various goals, such as the goal receivedat block 442, and/or the amount of allocable power as determined atblock 440. In particular, the power allocation plan seeks to maximizethe use of available power such that all allocable power is allocatedfor use by the components of the other equipment 140. Based on thedetermination at block 434, it has been determined that the SOC of thepower storage module 124 is sufficient to provide power to all of thecomponents of the flight-related equipment until sunrise. As such, thereis excess power remaining beyond what is necessary for flightoperations, and it is now determined how that excess (and thusallocable) power should be allocated to the components of the otherequipment 140.

At block 456, the computing devices 104 selects one or more of thecomponents of the other equipment 140 to which power should beallocated. The computing devices 104 may select one of the components ofthe other equipment 140 for power allocation based on the goal receivedat block 442, based on a predetermined list of components that should beswitched on or switched to a power-saving state under these conditions,based on the data regarding the present rate of power consumptionreceived at block 410, and/or based on the interplay between thecomponents of the other equipment 140 as modeled in the simulationmodels obtained at block 418. For example, the various components of theother equipment 140 may have different functions and/or different ratesof power consumption, and the determination of which components toselect for power allocation may be based on the functions and/or ratesof power consumption of the various components of the other equipment140.

Thereafter, at block 458, the computing devices 104 estimate an expectedamount of power needed to provide power until sunrise to the componentsof the other equipment 140 selected at block 456. The estimation of theexpected amount of power needed to provide power until sunrise to thecomponents of the other equipment 140 selected at block 456 may bedetermined by adding together the amount of power required to providepower until sunrise to the components of the other equipment 140selected at block 456, and/or by subtracting the amount of powerrequired to provide power until sunrise to one or more components of theother equipment 140 that were not selected at block 456. In someembodiments, the estimation of the expected amount of power needed toprovide power until sunrise to the components of the other equipment 140selected at block 456 is based on the simulation models of power usageobtained at block 418.

Then, at block 460, the computing devices 104 determine whether there isadditional allocable power remaining. For example, the computing devices104 may determine whether the amount of allocable power calculated atblock 440 is greater than the amount of power required to provide poweruntil morning to the components of the other equipment 140 selected atblock 456, as estimated at block 458. If the computing devices 104determine that there is additional allocable power remaining (“Y” atblock 460), processing returns to block 456 where another component ofthe other equipment 140 is selected. Alternatively, if the computingdevices 104 determine that all allocable power has been allocated (“N”at block 460), processing proceeds to block 462.

At block 462, the computing devices 104 generate a power command toswitch the components of the other equipment 140 that were not selectedat block 456 to a power-saving state. Thereafter, processing returns toblock 416 where the power command is transmitted to the aerial vehicle.

With reference to FIG. 5, there is shown a flowchart of an illustrativemethod 500 for generating one or more simulation models of power usageof one or more components of an aerial vehicle. The simulation models,in some examples, are executable to forecast power usage of one or morecomponents of the aerial vehicle. In some embodiments, the method 500may be performed during or in conjunction with performance of block 418of FIG. 4B. Starting at block 502, computing devices 104 may receiveand/or retrieve from storage historical power consumption data. Thehistorical power consumption data may include power consumption rates ofthe components of the equipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle102 during previous days of the present flight of the aerial vehicle102, previous flights of the aerial vehicle 102, and/or other aerialvehicles 102 with similar components and/or flights. The historicalpower consumption data may also reflect power consumption rates ofcomponents of the equipment 138, 140 at particular locations, duringparticular seasons, and/or under particular weather conditions. Althoughnot shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, instead of or in addition tohistorical power consumption, present power consumption data isreceived, retrieved, and/or utilized at various points throughout themethod 500.

Thereafter, at block 504, the computing devices 104 determinerelationships and/or inter-dependencies of the various components of theequipment 138, 140. For example, various components may be related toand/or dependent on other components, and if one such component isswitched to a power-saving state, the related or dependent componentsmay lose functionality (and thus consume less power) or increasefunctionality to compensate for the component that is switched to apower-saving state, and thus consume more power. The relationshipsand/or inter-dependencies of the various components of the equipment138, 140 may be determined based on information regarding the variouscomponents stored in the computing devices 104 and/or received from thedata sources 106, such as a map indicating of a power-based hierarchy ofcomponents of the aerial vehicle 102.

Next, at block 506, the computing devices 104 calculate expected powerconsumption rates of the various components of the equipment 138, 140,based on the present power consumption data received at block 410 and/orthe historical power consumption data received at block 502, and theinter-dependencies of the various components determined at block 504. Insome embodiments, the calculation of the expected power consumptionrates of the various components may further be based on the goal (orgoal data) received at block 442, the state of charge of the powerstorage module 124 received at block 402, flight information, such as,for example, flight path data, and/or weather information received fromthe data sources 106, and/or a rate of power generation of the powergeneration module 134. Additionally, as noted above, various simulationsmay be performed, and thus various simulation models generated, based ona variety of parameters affecting the flights, and thus the powerconsumption rates of particular components, of aerial vehicle 102.Further, in some aspects, using Monte Carlo methods, various simulationsmay be performed multiple times using one or more simulation modules,including relying on repeated random sampling to obtain simulationresults that include a probability distribution.

Thereafter, at block 508, a confidence interval is determined regardingthe expected accuracy of each of the one or more simulation modelsgenerated. The confidence interval may be based on how closelyhistorical power consumption data reflect the present power consumptiondata and the parameters of the present flight and equipment makeup ofaerial vehicle 102. The confidence interval may further be based on aprobability distribution included as a result of performing multiplessimulations. The computing device 104 may generate a power budget byutilizing, autonomously and/or with the input of a flight engineer, theconfidence interval and/or the output simulations performed based on oneor more simulation models.

Among the benefits of the above-described method 500 of FIG. 5 are theability to generate multiple simulation models, based on variousparameters, in order to simulate various potential outcomes. Forexample, various simulation models may be generated based on the presentand historical performance and/or efficiency of particular componentsand combinations of components coupled to the aerial vehicle 102. Thesimulation models may further account for expected variables, such asexpected efficiency of power generation by the power generation module134, expected power needs of the components based on weather informationand/or flight information, etc. The simulation models my thus be used topredict the performance and efficiency of the particular combination ofcomponents coupled to the aerial vehicle 102 to calculate an expectedamount of power required to provide power to the components over aparticular period of time.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an illustrative method 600 for managingpower of an aerial vehicle, from the perspective of the aerial vehicle102, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Asdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 4A-4D, those skilled in the artwill recognize that the processes described below may be a sub-processforming part of a bigger process for controlling aerial vehicles, andthus various other processes and steps may be performed in addition tothe below-described steps and processes. While the processes describedbelow are organized into an illustrative ordered sequence of steps,those skilled in the art will appreciate that various of these steps maybe performed in a different order or sequence, repeated, and/or omittedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

At block 602, the aerial vehicle 102 receives, by way of the wirelesscommunication link 108 and the transceiver 132, a command from thecomputing device 104. The aerial vehicle 102 periodically receivesmultiple transmissions of commands from the computing device 104, asdescribed above.

At block 604, it is determined whether the command received at block 602is a command to descend. If it is determined that the command receivedat block 602 is a descend command (“Y” at block 604), processingproceeds to block 606. Alternatively, if it is determined that thecommand received at block 602 is not a descend command (“N” at block604), processing proceeds to block 610.

At block 606, all components of the other equipment 140 coupled to theaerial vehicle are switched off. Thereafter, at block 608, a command isprovided to the ACS to initiate a descent to the ground, whereafterprocessing of method 600 ends. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat additional procedures may be performed during a descent to theground, but those procedures are omitted here as beyond the scope of thepresent disclosure.

At block 610, it is determined whether the command received at block 602is a power command to enter low-power mode. If it is determined that thecommand received at block 602 is a power command to enter low-power mode(“Y” at block 610), processing proceeds to block 612, where allcomponents of the other equipment 140 are switched to a power-savingstate. Thereafter, or if it is determined that the command received atblock 602 is not a power command to enter low-power mode (“N” at block610), processing proceeds to block 614.

At block 614, it is determined whether the command received at block 602is a power command to switch one or more particular components to apower-saving state. If it is determined that the command received atblock 602 is a power command to switch one or more particular componentsto a power-saving state (“Y” at block 614), processing proceeds to block616, where the components indicated in the power command received atblock 602 are switched to a power-saving state. Thereafter, processingreturns to block 602. Alternatively, if it is determined that thecommand received at block 602 is not a power command to switch one ormore particular components to a power-saving state (“N” at block 614),processing proceeds to block 618.

At block 618, it is determined whether the command received at block 602is a power command to enter a normal operating mode. If it is determinedthat the command received at block 602 is a power command to enter anormal operating mode (“Y” at block 618), processing proceeds to block620, where all components are switched on and an instruction is providedto the power plant 122 to provide power to all components of theequipment 138, 140 coupled to the aerial vehicle 102, whereafterprocessing returns to block 602. Alternatively, if it is determined thatthe command received at block 602 is not a power command to enter anormal operating mode (“N” at block 618), processing returns to block602.

As can be appreciated in view of the present disclosure, the systems andmethods described herein provide advancements in aerial vehicle powermanagement that enable aerial vehicles to be more efficient in theirpower allocation and usage, thereby increasing their effectiveness andreducing power that goes unused and thus wasted. The embodimentsdisclosed herein are examples of the present systems and methods and maybe embodied in various forms. For instance, although certain embodimentsherein are described as separate embodiments, each of the embodimentsherein may be combined with one or more of the other embodiments herein.Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but as a basis for the claims and as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present information systems in virtually any appropriatelydetailed structure. Like reference numerals may refer to similar oridentical elements throughout the description of the figures.

The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in embodiments,” “in some embodiments,”or “in other embodiments” may each refer to one or more of the same ordifferent embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure. Aphrase in the form “A or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B).” A phrase inthe form “at least one of A, B, or C” means “(A); (B); (C); (A and B);(A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).”

The systems and/or methods described herein may utilize one or morecontrollers to receive various information and transform the receivedinformation to generate an output. The controller may include any typeof computing device, computational circuit, or any type of processor orprocessing circuit capable of executing a series of instructions thatare stored in a memory. The controller may include multiple processorsand/or multicore central processing units (CPUs) and may include anytype of processor, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor,microcontroller, programmable logic device (PLD), field programmablegate array (FPGA), or the like. The controller may also include a memoryto store data and/or instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, causes the one or more processors to perform one or moremethods and/or algorithms. In example embodiments that employ acombination of multiple controllers and/or multiple memories, eachfunction of the systems and/or methods described herein can be allocatedto and executed by any combination of the controllers and memories.

Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes maybe converted to, or expressed in, a programming language or computerprogram. The terms “programming language” and “computer program,” asused herein, each include any language used to specify instructions to acomputer, and include (but is not limited to) the following languagesand their derivatives: Assembler, Basic, Batch files, BCPL, C, C+, C++,Delphi, Fortran, Java, JavaScript, machine code, operating systemcommand languages, Pascal, Perl, PL1, scripting languages, Visual Basic,metalanguages which themselves specify programs, and all first, second,third, fourth, fifth, or further generation computer languages. Alsoincluded are database and other data schemas, and any othermeta-languages. No distinction is made between languages which areinterpreted, compiled, or use both compiled and interpreted approaches.No distinction is made between compiled and source versions of aprogram. Thus, reference to a program, where the programming languagecould exist in more than one state (such as source, compiled, object, orlinked) is a reference to any and all such states. Reference to aprogram may encompass the actual instructions and/or the intent of thoseinstructions.

Any of the herein described methods, programs, algorithms or codes maybe contained on one or more non-transitory computer-readable ormachine-readable media or memory. The term “memory” may include amechanism that provides (in an example, stores and/or transmits)information in a form readable by a machine such a processor, computer,or a digital processing device. For example, a memory may include a readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storagemedia, optical storage media, flash memory devices, or any othervolatile or non-volatile memory storage device. Code or instructionscontained thereon can be represented by carrier wave signals, infraredsignals, digital signals, and by other like signals.

The foregoing description is only illustrative of the present systemsand methods. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised bythose skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure.Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications and variances. The embodiments describedwith reference to the attached drawing figures are presented only todemonstrate certain examples of the disclosure. Other elements, steps,methods, and techniques that are insubstantially different from thosedescribed above and/or in the appended claims are also intended to bewithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing power of an aerial vehicle,the system comprising: an aerial vehicle including: a power storagemodule, and at least one component; a computing device communicativelycoupled to the aerial vehicle, the computing device including aprocessor and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by theprocessor, cause the computing device to: receive data indicating astate of charge of the power storage module, receive data indicating arate of power consumption of the at least one component, generate, basedon at least one of the state of charge of the power storage module orthe rate of power consumption of the at least one component, a powercommand, and transmit the power command to the aerial vehicle.
 2. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the power command causes the aerialvehicle to switch from a first operating mode to a second operatingmode.
 3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the at least onecomponent includes at least one flight-related component and at leastone non-flight related component, and wherein the first operating modeallows power to be provided to the at least one flight-related componentand the at least one non-flight related component.
 4. The systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the second operating mode is apower-saving operating mode.
 5. The system according to claim 4, whereinthe power-saving operating mode allows power to be provided to the atleast one flight-related component and prevents power from beingprovided to the at least one non-flight related component.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 4, wherein the aerial vehicle further includes atleast one heater, and wherein the power-saving operating mode allowspower to be provided to the at least one heater.
 7. The system accordingto claim 4, wherein the power-saving operating mode causes the at leastone non-flight related component to switch to a power-saving state. 8.The system according to claim 7, wherein the power-saving state allowsthe at least one non-flight related component to only consume power tostay warm.
 9. The system according to claim 2, wherein the secondoperating mode is a low-power operating mode.
 10. The system accordingto claim 9, wherein the at least one component includes at least oneflight-related component and at least one non-flight related component,and wherein the low-power operating mode causes the at least onenon-flight related component to switch to a power-off state.
 11. Thesystem according to claim 9, wherein the low-power operating mode causesthe aerial vehicle to initiate a descent process.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by theprocessor, further cause the computing device to determine whether thestate of charge of the power storage module is greater than a threshold.13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, further cause the computing device todetermine whether the rate of power consumption is greater than athreshold.
 14. The system according to claim 1, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the processor, further cause thecomputing device to: determine an expected amount of power required toprovide power to the at least one component for a predetermined amountof time, wherein the generation of the power command is further based onthe determined expected amount of power needed to provide power to theat least one component for the predetermined amount of time.
 15. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed bythe processor, further cause the computing device to: receive dataindicating a location of the aerial vehicle; determine a time untilsunrise based on the location of the aerial vehicle.
 16. The systemaccording to claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by theprocessor, further cause the computing device to determine an expectedamount of power required to provide power to the at least one componentuntil sunrise.
 17. The system according to claim 16, wherein thegeneration of the power command is further based on the determinedexpected amount of power needed to provide power to the at least onecomponent until sunrise
 18. The system according to claim 1, wherein theaerial vehicle includes a balloon.
 19. A method for managing power of anaerial vehicle, the method comprising: receiving data indicating a stateof charge of a power storage module coupled to the aerial vehicle;receiving data indicating a rate of power consumption of at least onecomponent coupled to the aerial vehicle; generating, based on at leastone of the state of charge of the power storage module or the rate ofpower consumption of the at least one component, a power command; andtransmitting the power command to the aerial vehicle.
 20. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructionswhich, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to:receive data indicating a state of charge of a power storage modulecoupled to an aerial vehicle; receive data indicating a rate of powerconsumption of at least one component coupled to the aerial vehicle;generate, based on at least one of the state of charge of the powerstorage module or the rate of power consumption of the at least onecomponent, a power command; and transmit the power command to the aerialvehicle.